Susan, I don't think you are supposed to stop and start anything too quickly. My experience was that since I thought that the Chinese medicine would take a while to work for the depression, I kept taking Effexor XR for about two months while also taking the Chinese medicine. I was very very happy, and probably the happiest I've been for a long time; however, later on I learned I was not supposed to be taking both at the same time. Well, I think the Chinese medicine helps you sleep well, and when you stopped it, it probably had an effect. Chinese medicine has to be taken every day at specified times to work; the effects of it wear off quickly, it does not stay in your body like drugs do, so one day off will make a big difference especially if you are just starting. I had two weeks of withdrawal sickness from the Effexor XR -nausea vomiting shakes, etc. I stayed in bed for two weeks. But having said that, when I stopped all the Chinese medicine, I was fine, no withdrawal symptoms until three months later; so maybe they do build up in your body after time; but three or four months after I stopped I was a crying mess again, and had to go back onto it. Deep depression and anxiety. So I started again, but then about nine months later I stopped again, and went back to traditional medicine because my panic was not going away. I went to two different doctors after that because we moved in between, and tried about six different medicines, until now I am taking a mixture of meds., this doctor is prescribing a herbal dried medicine to be taken with hot water 1/2 hr before meals like Chinese medicine, and then other drugs morning and night. Then later another drug for sleeping. So that's where I am now. Hope you will really improve on the Chinese medicine; for some people it is a really good alternative to the drugs, and I recommend it highly, especially if you can get some kind of other treatments with it. All the best...
